Otherworldly killers are a staple in practically everything and can be great if done right. One of the more recent and more interesting stories is a comic by James Robinson and artist Scott Kolins called “Patra.”
Patra and her entire family were brutally murdered by a superhuman maniac named Jeremy Jones. Whenever he appears near her, a strange mask and dagger appear on her. Now she must solve the mystery of why the mask and dagger appear and figure out a way to stop him before he kills more innocent people.
The story is either great or it drags depending on the character’s point of view. If it’s Patra, then it’s tense; we want to see her succeed and the danger of Jones possibly killing her (again) grips the reader. We want to see her succeed and the fact that she knows just as much about herself and her powers as the reader does raises the stakes even higher. When it’s the mental institution doctor, the narration grinds to a crawl. Lots of exposition and, quite frankly, the doctor and the detective are not interesting characters. It’s a chore reading their scenes. The ending does leave a sequel wide open and some people may groan at the reveal at the end, especially with the explanation of Patra’s name.
The art is interesting. The panel borders look like they are made out of wood, which is an interesting decision. The human designs are OK Patra and Jones’s designs are amazing. The use of red for Jones makes him appear to be this otherworldly being. Red is also used for his victims, which makes it better. Everything else is OK.
“Patra” has a great story when it’s Patra’s point of view and plodding when it’s not. The art is OK when things are normal and amazing when Jones is on screen. It’s this back and forth that’ll give readers whiplash but in the end, it’s all worth it.
